"Pass." Claude chuckled and slipped out of Eugene's arm. He walked off to dump the punch that had gotten warm in his hands.
Before he could return to the punch table, someone pulled him into their group. It was a bunch of older members of the wolf faction in Psi Saint Alpha. The person holding Claude laughed and wrapped his muscly arm around Claude's shoulders to keep him from escaping. He said, his breath reeking of the hidden alcohol in the punch, "Lavallee! Come here for a sec!"
Claude couldn't fight their hold without hurting anyone. He just stuck to them until they grew bored. He answered, "Uh… hi."
The person laughed and gestured at his friends as if talking about a legend. "Guys, this is Claude Lavallee! You know the topnotchers? He's one of them! He even beat my little sister in the list. She's already, like, valedictorian in high school! You, my man, deserve the praise!"
He raised his drink, accompanied by the others. "To Lavallee!"
"Hey, he doesn't have a cup!" One laughed and handed a cup of punch to Claude. "Again, again! Let's drink to Junior Lavallee's success!"
"Thanks…" Claude had to join their toast. When everyone gulped down the punch, Claude felt nervous. Instead of getting goaded needlessly, he just braved the cup of punch. The alcohol in it burned his taste buds with its awful taste. He couldn't even believe that thing went down his throat. If he were allowed, he would have thrown up then and there.
Claude quickly escaped that group after the toast. He dropped the cup on the ground and trudged to a quiet place. His hands covered his mouth as if fighting the urge to vomit. When he did, he felt his entire head spinning.
He groaned, hands on his ears. "Shit, so loud…"
He started swerving as he walked. With a tree in sight, he decided to take refuge behind it. However, he tripped on the roots. He felt his body fall forward… only for someone to catch his shoulders. Claude tried to get up, but the other person pulled him to their chest. The warmth and the stability grounded Claude for a moment.
"Watch where you're going…" A familiar voice laughed before him. When Claude lifted his face, he saw Len holding him so close.
"You again?" Claude grabbed Len's waist as if he were a log Claude could use to get to his feet. However, Claude's head fell to Len's shoulder. His nose pressed against Len's skin, making him giggle. "You really smell so good…"
Len could only chuckle at the noodle in his arms. "Come on, get up. You're beginning to attract eyes this way. Do you want to get seen like this?"
Claude put feeble strength in his arms again, trying to straighten his back. However, his head felt so heavy that his neck couldn't support it. He kept giggling. "Better than leaving a trail of vomit all over the dance floor. Say… what's your name…? You never gave me your name…"
His hand started caressing Len's side, feeling up the muscles under the thin shirt. He completely failed to stay on his feet, leaving Len to support his weight without difficulties.
"My friends call me Len." Len chuckled before glancing at the crowd, who started glancing at them. He pulled Claude behind the tree slowly. "You should just sleep. It'll be worse if you continue fighting your dizziness. What's your room number? I'll bring you up."
"You're so nice…" Claude pulled back a little and cupped a hand on Len's face. "So handsome, too… Do you have a girlfriend, Len?"
Len only smiled a little. He moved a bit to hoist Claude into his arms, carrying him like a princess. It was just that when he was about to talk again, Claude's lips pressed to his mouth. Len even flinched when Claude licked his lips. He slightly opened his mouth, letting Claude kiss him deeper. Claude's tongue brushed against his teeth, showing interest in those prominent canines.
Instead of feeling disgust or smugness, Len furrowed his brows. He could taste something suspicious on Claude's tongue. No matter. It was for another day to deal with. For now, he just walked off to bring Claude away from the party.
However, Len felt strange as soon as he arrived outside the tunnel. Claude was still showering his mouth with drunk kisses, but something budded from inside his chest. Under the waxing moon, he suddenly felt like biting deep into Claude's exposed neck.
"Hey…" Claude slowly pulled back, breaking Len out of his trance. The violinist then smiled and pressed a kiss on the sticker on Len's neck. "Are you scared of monsters, Len?"
"No." Len chuckled, hoisting Claude up again to adjust his slipping hold. He continued walking. "Go to sleep now. I'll just find a way to break into your room."
"Are you sure? Not even a little bit?" Claude hummed and placed his head on Len's shoulder. He stared at the wolf's head sticker before licking his own teeth. " You promised you were not scared, right? Why don't I shake your confidence?"
Len was about to ask, only for Claude to open his mouth and bite Len's neck. The other person flinched, but his hold didn't give out. He moved his head to give Claude more space to bite. However, his growing canines didn't even punch through Len's neck. The other person chuckled as Claude moved his head as if biting through a tough hide.
The guy decided to walk to his room in the General's dorm instead. He whispered, "Marking the Alpha? Aren't you a brave little wolf?"
…
Scrunch. Claude scrunched his eyes as he roused from his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling. He turned to the side and watched an elegant clock ticking to get to ten o'clock. A slight groan came from him as he forced himself to sit up. When the blanket fell from his shoulder, he instantly saw his bare chest. The horror was enough to wake him up.
Claude grabbed the blanket and looked underneath, seeing all of him in one glance. A strong red blush ran across his cheeks after realizing what could have happened. He held his head and growled before remembering last night.
"I was at the welcoming party… I had this one cup from the seniors…" Claude froze and shuddered at the next few flashes of memories. He covered his mouth and squealed. "I made out with that guy… Shit, did I sleep with him?"
"Tempting, but I don't sleep with drunk people."
Claude flattened the blanket against him as he heard someone's voice. When he looked up, he saw Len standing in front of his mirror, matching scarves to his gray shirt.
Len's reddish eyes glinted as he looked over his shoulder to find Claude on his bed. A smirk curled his lips. "Good morning, sleeping beauty. How was your sleep?"